2. Ramen-Ya Akihide/らーめんや亜喜英

Photo credit: rhosoi via Visual Hunt / CC BY
If you are lucky enough, you will be able to taste the delicious ramen of Akihide.

Though it is said that Akihide is open from 6 to 10pm, according to locals, this shop is almost always closed.

Their ramen is made from a special condensed soup called Junnoko, which is made by simmering chicken bones and pork for a long period of time.

Junnoko ramen is their most popular dish, and it has a mellow and tasty soup that attracts customers from all over the country.

Because the shop is so small consisting of only 9 seats, there are several rules such as taking numbered tickets to wait in line outside, and leaving the shop immediately after finishing your bowl of ramen.

For customers, Akihide has an official twitter account that tweets 30 minutes prior to opening time if they will open or not, so if you are planning on visiting this shop, it is a must to check their twitter before you go.

Address: 5-2, Ichijoji-kita Ohmaru-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Location: 4 minute walk from Ichijoji Station
Phone: 075-702-5611
Open Hours: Check Twitter!(Most of the time they open between 18:00 and 23:30)
Price: ~1,000 yen
Map

3. Tentenyu Main Shop/天天有 本店

Photo credit: rhosoi via VisualHunt / CC BY
Tentenyu’s main shop is located in the Ichijoji area, same as the 2 shops introduced earlier.

Tentenyu first opened in 1971, and so it is known as one of the oldest, most known ramen shops in this area.

Although it has branch stores in Tokyo and other places around Japan, the main shop’s ramen is an exception.

The soup is made from thick chicken broth and soup from different sorts of vegetables.

The taste of the soup is not too thick, but has a strong flavor of the ingredients and is also a little sweet at the same time.

There are various topping ingredients on the table such as red pickled ginger and red pepper, and you can use them to change the flavors to your favor.

4. Inoichi/猪一

Inoichi specializes in the magnificently flavored soups made with chicken stock and seafood flavors.

There is a choice between white and black shoyu (soy sauce) for the soup. The ramen bowl consists of delicious chashu, a soft and tender pork steak that is commonly topped on ramen.

Inoichi uses “Kyo no Miyako Mochi Buta” for their chashu, a premium local brand of pigs that is known for its fine meat and fats.

No wonder it tastes so good!

There is also a free Tororo Konbu (type of dried seawead that turns soft and slimy when put in liquid) topping placed on the table, and I highly reccomend you use is after eating half the bowl of ramen without any toppings.